How to Lose Your Rider
by Brightpath2
Summary: When a normal flight gets interrupted by a fierce storm, Hiccup and Toothless are separated, and Toothless decides that he really didn't need or want a lesson in How to Lose His Rider.


***peeks around corner to see if it's all clear. Coughs nervously.***

 **Erm . . . hi . . . to any old readers coming here in hopes it's an update or something, I AM SO SORRY! It's been two whole months since I've posted anything at all, and this isn't even an update! Although, if I had that chapter finished for Death of a Partner, Birth of a Hero, then trust me, I would be updating RIGHT NOW. But nope. Two months and I'm still writing that same chapter.**

 **Curse writers block and absolute lack of time. Explanations shall be saved until I DO update, so, moving on!**

 **Anyways, this is my first ever HTTYD fanfiction, and it's set only a few months before the second movie. Since I'm not very familiar with the tv series, this doesn't draw from that and may not be canon with it. AND WARNING! If you are expecting a long fanfic, with multiple chapters and weekly updates, don't. This is a oneshot. :)**

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 **Disclaimer: Clearly I don't own HTTYD. If I did I would have a lot more money and probably less problems with inspiration.**

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Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, was falling from the sky.

For most people this would be a problem. Many would be screaming their heads off as they fell to their doom. Others would be praying frantically to the gods in the hopes that perhaps one of them might take pity and save their wretched soul. But for Hiccup, there were no screams, no desperate prayers. Instead he was laughing as he fell, even _whooping_ , practically celebrating as he fell towards what was sure to be his early death. At least, it would have been for nearly every other person in the world, but Hiccup was fortunate in several ways, and one of them just happened to be-

A dragon.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, deciding that the water below was getting a little too close for his liking. "Come on, Bud! You can catch me now!"

No black dragon appeared below him, and Hiccup craned his neck around to look back up at the sky above, seeing his best friend following him, a look of amusement on his face, "Toothless, I'm not a dragon, I can't fly!" Hiccup reminded his friend. _Not yet,_ he added mentally. He was working on a flight suit that would allow him to glide alongside Toothless, but it wasn't quite finished.

The Night Fury growled in response, and Hiccup looked back down at the fast approaching water. Twenty feet. Fifteen . . . ten . . . "Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, his voice reaching a higher pitch than it had in years. Even as he spoke, a black blur made it's way beneath him, and he swiftly fastened his prosthetic into it's place, hearing the satisfying click. Immediately he angled their flight upwards, but they still dipped briefly into the water before soaring into the sky. "That was . . . way too close, Bud," Hiccup breathed.

Toothless made the sound that Hiccup had come to recognize as laughter, and the dragon rider had to suppress a smile. Despite his nagging, he enjoyed the adrenaline and the rush of such a close save, and Toothless knew it.

"We'd better head back," he said reluctantly, glancing at the setting sun. He'd gone out searching for a new island, and today they'd come up empty handed. He wanted to stay out longer, but he knew that his father hated it when they did that, and besides, he'd promised Astrid that they'd eat together tonight since she'd been unable to join him. That had been happening more and more of late, with both of their schedules becoming more constraining as Hiccup's saddles rose in demand and Astrid became one of the more popular teachers for the young ones who were just learning how to ride dragons. Hiccup had to admit after watching her that he was impressed with how patient she could be around children, especially since her patience didn't quite extend to most adult vikings.

Astrid still managed to fly with him most days, but all the same there were days like today where one of them just couldn't get away.

And over the past couple of weeks, Hiccup's father had been hinting at something that would steal _all_ of his time. He'd be hard pressed to find any time at all to fly with Toothless, and that made him uncomfortable. Hiccup didn't think that Stoick would actually bring the subject up for a good month or two, but he was still trying to avoid his dad as much as possible. He hadn't told Astrid, because he knew she wouldn't quite get it. For her, Hiccup becoming chief was amazing! She could imagine no higher honor, and Hiccup sometimes wished he could pass the title over to her. He felt that she'd do a much better job of it.

As for Hiccup, he'd rather spend his days out exploring, finding new dragons, and maybe, just maybe, finding another Night Fury.

It was something he only talked about with Toothless. He hadn't even mentioned it to Astrid since a couple of years ago, and back then she'd laughed him off, reminding him that Toothless was probably the last of his kind. He'd let her think he'd given up, but in all reality, he doubted he ever would.

Hiccup felt a cool breeze brush his face, and he glanced up, frowning at the sight of the thunderous storm clouds that were approaching. "Alright, Bud, we'd better hurry home," he said softly, leaning forwards over Toothless's neck. Toothless made a noise of agreement, but just as he began to speed up, there was a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning that came so close to hitting them that Hiccup could feel his hair standing on end. Toothless roared, and they fell backwards.

As a precaution Hiccup locked Toothless's tail as he slipped slightly. Thankfully the Night Fury righted himself before Hiccup lost his grip, and the two darted through the suddenly pouring rain. "Odin's beard," Hiccup gasped. He was already soaked through! He ducked his head, gripping Toothless's harness tightly in his hands. They would be hard pressed to get safely to Berk with this freak storm, but the few other islands that were closer weren't exactly safe.

Toothless was straining against a heavy wind, and Hiccup looked up to see if he could recognize anything. It was nearly impossible to see through the wind, and the dark clouds made it look almost as if it were midnight. It was hard to believe that just minutes before, Hiccup had been enjoying a pleasant sunset.

"Come on, Bud!" he yelled, leaning down so that his dragon could hear him. "You can do it!"

Toothless roared in reply, but the sound was lost as once more they were targeted by the lightning. This time it was even closer before, and Hiccup heard Toothless wail in pain, even as he felt himself leave the saddle and a surge of electricity sparked along one arm.

Then the ocean was rushing towards him, and the last thing Hiccup thought before it all went dark was that if he survived, Astrid was going to kill him.

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Astrid was going to kill her fiancee as soon as he returned. Not only was he late for their first dinner together in three weeks, but he'd also spent the whole day out flying while she'd been stuck paired with the _twins,_ Thor save her. Training the kids to ride dragons was eons easier than trying to wrangle those two into acceptable behavior. They'd almost exploded three toddlers, set a preteen on fire, and had startled a young nest of Deadly Nadders so badly that they'd started firing off their spikes.

Thankfully Astrid had brought a few extra shields, otherwise there would have been a few fatalities. She'd sent the twins to Stoick, where they'd received a stern talking to, and then gone to find Hiccup, sure that he would have returned. But her fiancee was nowhere to be found, and no one had seen Toothless either, which meant that they were still out. They didn't stay out this late very often, and Astrid once more felt a surge of annoyance that Hiccup had chosen today of all days to keep flying.

She glanced up as the door to the dining hall opened, revealing a terrible storm as the twins slowly came inside, looking sullen. They pointedly ignored Astrid, much to her relief, instead going to sit with Snotlout and Fishlegs, both of whom began to try and impress Ruffnut, who didn't seem to notice.

Astrid frowned as she thought of the storm there'd been when the twins came in. She'd seen no sign of rain earlier, but now it looked as though Thor had opened the heavens and was pouring out a punishment upon someone. Was Hiccup still out in that? All of a sudden Astrid was concerned instead of angry. If Hiccup and Toothless had been caught in the storm, then it was possible that they were late for a reason entirely unrelated to their exploration. They could be in a lot of trouble!

Astrid stood, making her way to where Stoick was sitting and talking with Gobber. She still felt awkward speaking to him in any sort of familiar way, but ever since she'd become betrothed to Hiccup, he'd gone out of his way to make her feel like part of their family, and that included a little bit more familiarity.

"Stoick," she said hesitantly. "Have you seen Hiccup?"

The chief paused mid laugh to look at her, his face immediately stoic. He frowned. "You mean he's not here? I though you two were going to have dinner together."

"I thought so too," Astrid let a little bit of her annoyance and concern show. "He hasn't shown up. I went looking for him directly after training, but when I couldn't find him I came here to wait. I was early, so I thought he'd be here soon, but he never came."

"It''s stormin' pretty badly out there, Stoick," Gobber sounded a little worried as he set his tankard down. "If Hiccup stayed out there to watch the sunset, then he likely got caught in the weather."

Stoick stood. "Alright, if they aren't back in half an hour, then Astrid, you and I will go out and look for them," he said firmly. "Gobber, that would leave you in charge."

Gobber groaned, but nodded. "Aye, just be sure ye bring him back. I'm not as good at making his saddles as he is, and I don't want to start a revolt"

Astrid didn't wait to hear Stoick's reply. Instead she hurried to the door, opening it. Immediately a strong wind blew throughout the entire hall, and Astrid shivered, feeling a sudden cold terror at the thought of Hiccup being out in that storm.

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If there was something Toothless hated, it was losing his rider. He and Hiccup had been partners for five years now, and even though Hiccup had figured out a way for him to fly by himself, Toothless still preferred flying in a pair. He could hardly remember the time when flying with no weight on his shoulders felt good. These days it either meant that they were doing a free fall, or that Hiccup was in danger. Toothless only liked one of these things, and that was the reason for the panic that was running through his scales as he dove recklessly through the waves, searching frantically for his rider.

Hiccup was gone! He'd felt it happen, but by the time he'd righted himself there was no sign that Hiccup had ever been there.

The foolish viking had even locked Toothless's tail so that he would be able to fly, as though he'd _expected_ this to happen! Toothless would have preferred to plunge into the watery grave with his rider if Hiccup had drowned.

Toothless roared Hiccup's name, knowing that even though Hiccup didn't _totally_ understand Dragonspeak, he could get the gist of it. Besides, Toothless was sure that if his friend could hear him, he would respond. There was nothing. No response. No cry for help. Toothless felt that panic again. What was he supposed to do? By now, Hiccup could have been zapped by lightning, or sunk to the bottom of the ocean! He couldn't swim with that fake limb that he had, the last time he'd tried Astrid had to save him from drowning.

Toothless made a split second decision. Hiccup had told him several things he should do if something like this ever happened, the first of which was always to go and get the big-chief-Hiccup's-dad-Stoick viking, and Astrid. With one last desperate look at the stormy water, Toothless took off in the direction of Berk. It was a lot easier to fly fast without Hiccup on his back, but his tail fin felt clumsy, and Toothless was sure that if he went too fast in this storm he would lose control. It was only fifteen minutes before the village came into sight, but Toothless couldn't lose the feeling that those fifteen minutes had been far too long. Hiccup was very smart for a not-dragon, but even he couldn't breathe underwater for that long. Toothless could only hope that somehow his rider had found a safe place to stay until he could be saved.

Toothless went straight for the main hall, knowing that it was the most likely place to find everyone in this weather and at this hour. He was grateful that he was able to land, although it wasn't his smoothest landing. His wings and tail ached like nothing else, and he felt a flash of longing for the control he had when Hiccup was with him.

Toothless didn't bother knocking on the door like Hiccup had taught him, he just burst inside with a crash, stopping his frantic rush and looking around the hall, breathing heavily. The faces of everyone in the village were turned towards him, shock etched into each and every expression. It was as he'd thought; everyone had gathered to escape the rain that was surely leaking into their homes.

Toothless scanned the hall, focusing as he heard a cry of relief and saw a flash of blonde hair coming towards him.

"Hiccup! Toothless! It's about time, I was just getting worried-" Astrid scolded, but she stopped as she made it to the front of the crowd and noticed his empty saddle. Her face went perfectly white, and Toothless made an urgent sound at her, turning towards the door. Stoick was pushing through the crowd as well, his face set when he realized that his son's dragon had returned without his rider.

"Astrid, ride Toothless. Hiccup taught you how, didn't he?" Stoick asked quietly as he gestured for Skullcrusher, who Toothless saw was waiting. They must have been getting ready to come after him and Hiccup! He could now see Stormfly, who looked a little disgruntled at Stoick's instructions. Astrid nodded, still looking pale. She took a deep breath, hugged Stormfly, and then climbed onto Toothless's back. To the Night Fury's relief, she noticed his lightning burn, and was careful to avoid it.

"Alright, lead us to Hiccup, OK, Toothless?" Astrid said. Her voice was shaking, and Toothless shivered. If Astrid was as worried as he was, then was Hiccup still not-dead? It took a lot to worry Astrid.

Then again, the Night Fury thought wryly, normally it took quite a bit to worry him.

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Hiccup was not fond of waking up soaking wet on rock ledges, but he supposed he would have liked it less if he was still in the water.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd been knocked from his dragon's back, and he couldn't stop himself from anxiously scanning the sky in search of Toothless. Had his friend been injured when the lightning struck? Hiccup thought he remembered Toothless wailing in pain, but then, he had to admit that his memories of the few minutes before he landed in the water were a bit fuzzy.

"Oh great, a concussion," he muttered, recognizing his symptoms. The headache, the great desire for sleep, the dry throat, the fact that he kept wondering why he was out here even though he knew perfectly well why.

Or did he?

Hiccup groaned and shook his head, laying back down on his little rock ledge. He supposed a lucky wave had tossed him up here. This random but well placed spur of rock in the middle of the ocean was a lifesaver.

How long had he been out here again? Oh, that's right, he didn't actually know. He'd been unconscious for a while, and Toothless wasn't around, so it had to have been at least fifteen or twenty minutes, although it was probably a bit longer. The current had likely washed him away from where he'd actually fallen in, which was probably when his dragon had panicked and gone for help.

At least, that was what Hiccup hoped had happened. He didn't want to think of the other option; that Toothless had plunged into the watery depths after him and been unable to get back into the air.

Hiccup closed his eyes as a bout of dizziness swept over him (why was he dizzy? He was already lying down!), and murmured a prayer to the gods that at least his dragon was safe. He'd probably die out here from exposure, shock, his concussion, lightning, or the waves that were crashing closer and closer every moment. Hiccup felt a lurch of nausea as thunder boomed above him and his head pounded harder than ever. If Toothless was alright, then surely he'd be back with help soon, and then everything would be alright. Hiccup wasn't sure he could last much longer up here.

He struggled into a sitting position, despite the immediate desire to lay back down, and the horrible dizziness that threatened to make him give in. He looked around desperately, hoping that he could spot his dragon. All around him the sky was dark. The rain was pouring so heavily that he could barely see through it until the lightning flashed. He and Toothless hadn't been too far from Berk when they were hit, in fact, they were so close that Hiccup felt a flash of amazement at how improbable it was that they would be hit.

"Well, that just goes to show how unlucky I am," he muttered, shaking his head. Then he went back to peering into the dark sky. "Come on, Bud, I know you're here somewhere."

Then he heard it; the shrill screech of a Night Fury as it prepared to fire. Immediately Hiccup curled into a ball and covered his head, peering through a crack in his arms to see the purple blast explode around a hundred feet away. Judging from the direction and velocity of the shot . . .

Hiccup turned his head sharply to the left, and almost laughed in relief.

Toothless was flying in a wide circle over the space where they must have been shot down. It was over three hundred yards away, and Hiccup could now see why his dragon had missed him while searching in the water. A small form was perched on Toothless's back, and Hiccup knew it had to be Astrid. No one else really knew how to fly Toothless, and she was probably the first one Toothless had looked for upon his arrival at Berk. Not far behind Astrid were Skullcrusher and Stoick, both of whom were peering down into the water. Toothless must have fired off the shot to get some good light to search by.

Hiccup felt a surge of frustration. He doubted they would be able to hear him if he called out, so how was he supposed to get their attention? Then he blinked, and a broad grin spread over his face. He got to his feet, ignoring how wobbly he felt, and pulled his firesword from his belt. He wasn't _completely_ sure that this would work in the rain, but he figured it was at least worth a shot.

He opened one end, allowing the Zippleback gas to flow out. Some of it dispersed due to the rain, but most of it stayed, much to his relief.

Saying a little prayer to the gods, Hiccup attempted to ignite it- and succeeded! He would have celebrated with a cheer and some jumping, but just then he swayed dizzily, and had to spread out his hands to keep his balance.

The fire had definitely caught their attention. Toothless was rushing towards him, eagerness written all over his face, along with concern. Hiccup sighed in relief and sat down before he could fall. He could tell that he was about ready to fade from consciousness, but that was alright now. Help was here.

The last thing he saw before drifting into sleep was Astrid's pale face as she reached out to pull him on to Toothless's back.

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Astrid sat, finally warm and dry once more, and stared at her fiancee as he slept. When Toothless had taken them to the empty expanse of ocean, she'd thought for several horrible moments that he was dead. Surely there was no way he could have survived in that dark water for so long when he couldn't even swim! But Toothless had seemed determined, and it was only a couple of minutes after he fired off his shot that they saw the circle of flames, and the thin figure that stood on the top of the stone stack, only to see him crumple a moment later, clearly exhausted and injured.

Toothless had been frantic, flying so fast on the way back to Berk that not only was Skullcrusher hard pressed to keep up with him, but Astrid was having a hard time controlling his tail flap in time. She wasn't used to his mad dashes the way that Hiccup was! Somehow they'd made it to Berk safely, and Gothi had taken care of Hiccup's concussion and the burn on his arm as best she could. He hadn't woken up yet, but he would soon, Astrid was sure of it.

Toothless was curled around Hiccup protectively, his green eyes staring right at Hiccup's face. He hadn't moved since Gothi had put some burn cream along his side, and Astrid didn't think the dragon would budge until he was absolutely sure that Hiccup was alright.

Astrid sighed shakily. She was still trying to rid herself of the clinging fear she'd felt when she found the cut along Hiccup's forehead, coated with blood and surrounded by dark bruises. He'd been so pale, and Astrid found herself surprised that he'd been able to stand at all before he collapsed.

Suddenly Hiccup groaned, and Astrid's eyes shot to his face. She leaned forward, clutching her fiancee's hand tighter than before.

Hiccup made a face. "I need that hand, Astrid," he said hoarsely.

Astrid snorted "Well you should have thought of that before you got separated from Toothless in the middle of a storm, got a head injury, and worried the whole village when your dragon burst into the great hall with an empty saddle."

Hiccup opened his eyes and smiled at her ruefully. "If it makes it any better, we were only separated because we got struck by lightning," he offered.

Astrid hit him softly on his uninjured shoulder and glared at him. "Hiccup! You could have died! Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought you were dead!"

Toothless growled in agreement, and Hiccup looked from his fiancee to his dragon, his expression changing to one of disbelief. "Really, Bud? You too? Hey, it's not my fault you taught us all a lesson in how to lose your rider! Just get struck by lightning when you're already off balance, and walah! You'll suddenly be rider free! Right Toothless?"

Toothless's eyes narrowed into slits and he stuck his head over Hiccup's and growled.

Hiccup sighed. "Alright, fine, I was worried I wasn't going to stay on, and that's why I put on the safety so you could fly without me."

Astrid shivered again, remembering the sight of the empty saddle, and the panic in the Night Fury's eyes as she came towards him. How long had Toothless looked before coming for her and Stoick? "Hey, at least I'm alright," Hiccup said encouragingly, seeing the expressions on his dragon and fiancee's faces. "Gothi surely told you I'm going to live, otherwise my dad would be in here too."

Astrid nodded. "She did say you'd be fine," she said, partially to remind herself that he was right in front of her, living, breathing, and already looking better than he had ten minutes before.

Hiccup smiled. "Besides, this gives us an excuse to spend time together!" he added.

Astrid laughed. "Really? You want our excuse to be that you got yourself injured? Real romantic Dragon Boy," she snorted, but her heart lifted.

Hiccup relaxed, and Astrid noticed that he was scratching Toothless in his favorite spot. The dragon's eyes were half closed in pleasure, and he looked a lot happier than he had all night.

Astrid turned back to Hiccup who was watching her, his eyes soft. She bit her lip, then punched him in his uninjured arm for the second time. "That's for scaring me," she said fiercely. Then she smiled. "This is for everything else." she added softly, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his.

And after his arms wrapped around her, Astrid felt her worries leave her, because she never felt safer than when she was in his arms.

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 **Well, wasn't that fun? I hope you enjoyed it! REVIEW! :)**


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